Opera Killer
by kazeokiku
Summary: WiP. A serial killer in Las Vegas is kidnapping and killing women - the only things he leaves are pieces of operas. Mostly GC, a little NS
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer: **I don't own CSI!! Wish I did.... Any people in here just came out of my head; they're not based on anyone in particular. All musical pieces in here don't belong to me - they belong to their owners (how's that for a statement of the obvious?).

**--------------CSI Lab-------------**

Catherine walked into the evidence room as Grissom was examining the material from the last case. "Anything?" she asked quietly. Grissom shook his head in disappointment.

"I don't understand it! I should be able to find something, but I can't!" He slammed his fist into the wall in frustration.

"It's not your fault, Gil." Catherine reminded him.

"I know, but..."

Catherine walked over and looked at the piece of paper and read aloud.

"Morir! si pura bella!  
Morir per mi d'amore,  
Degli anni tuoi nel fiore,  
Degli anni tuoi nel fiore fuggir la vita!  
T'avea in cielo per l'amor creata,  
ed io t'uccido per averti amata!"

Grissom looked up. "It's a quote from Verdi's _Aida_." He read from the translation:

"Dying, so young and beautiful!  
Dying for love of me!  
So young...  
_So young_ to give up life!  
You were made in heaven for love  
And I have killed you by loving you!"

Sara was strolling by when she saw them. "Watcha looking at?" she leaned over. "Ah, the Opera Killer strikes again..."

"Yeah, he kidnapped another woman about six hour ago. Left his last victim's body at the new one's apartment."

"Find anything?"

"Nope. Most serials get sloppy over time - overconfident. This guy improves. We still only have what we found from the first three scenes: a partial too smudged to be identifiable, some unidentified fibers, and that's IT! - well that and the Opera pieces... and pictures..."

"Excuse me?" The receptionist poked her head into the room. "A package just arrived for you all...."

Grissom sighed deeply as he walked out. A few minutes later, he returned, holding a package in his gloved hands. He opened it carefully, and several pictures spilled onto the white table - all featured a woman in a warehouse, bound and tied to a chair.

He dusted the pictures carefully, knowing that there wouldn't be anything. After asserting that it held no fingerprints, he scanned it into the computer and sent it to Archie for analysis.

Nick walked into the Lab around 7:00 that night, engrossed in the newspaper he was reading.

_The Opera Killer Strikes_

_Over the last few weeks, a serial killer has begun terrorizing the Las Vegas citizens. Recently dubbed the "Opera Killer," this murderer preys on young to middle-aged women who live alone or with small children in the Las Vegas suburbs. He attacked for the fourth time last night, kidnapping another woman and leaving behind another body. Thus far, his pattern has been to leave the body of his previous victim at the house of the new one. _

_As of now, he has killed three women: Susie Wright, Alex Richmond, and Francis Bellmont. Early this morning/late last night, he abducted Susie Dickinson from her home in the Frampton housing complex. She was discovered missing when her 11-year-old daughter woke up and, after seeing the body of Francis Bellemont, called the police. At this time, the Las Vegas Police are doing everything possible to find Ms. Dickinson before she becomes the next victim in this latest string of murders. Continued on page A13_

Nick entered the Break Room just as he finished reading the article. "So, since when is this guy a serial? When I left it was just two murders with interesting circs. Now he's a full-blown serial killer, front page, got a name... What, I can't leave for a week without you guys getting a wacko and calling me back?" he said, half jokingly.

"Well, I'm sorry to ruin your vacation Nick, but this guy keeps going, and he hasn't slipped up once yet. We need everyone we can get on this case. Judging by the last few murders, we have only two days, _tops,_ before we find Susie Dickinson's body, and another woman disappears..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes:** Ok, so maybe the victim profile wasn't that subtle...OK, it wasn't at all - but I'm trying. LOL! Thanks for the reviews!

Warrick dialed Grissom's number as he raced down the Strip. "Gris? I found something! It looks like our vic' yanked some hair out when she was fighting him. I've got some strands that look like they still have skin tags.... Yeah, I'm almost there." He hung up the phone, and jerked the wheel to the right, bouncing across the slight bump in the road, and into the CSI parking lot.

**------------CSI Lab, Noon----------**

The entire team crowded around Greg as the computer began printing out the results. Grissom grabbed the sheet of the machine and looked at it. He dialed Brass's number. "Hey Jim. We got a name - Christopher Johnson." Hanging up, he turned to the rest of the team. "Ok, Nick, Sara, and Warrick - you guys stick to Archie, get everything you can out of those pics, and re-look at the last couple ones too. Catherine - you and I will check out the land deeds; try to find out if this guy owns any property near Vegas. The other three wandered off, and Catherine and Grissom headed over to his office to use the computer.

Grissom accessed the land deeds, and typed 'Johnson, Christopher' into the search bar. As he hit enter, Catherine walked over, and whispered something in his ear. He spun around, smiling. Grissom rose to his feet and closed the blinds on his door before turning to face Catherine. _(OK, now that was sort of vague, I know - but you guys follow where I'm going, right? Besides, let them have some privacy, for goodness sakes)_

Afterwards, they lay together on the couch, and were half asleep when the computer started beeping at them. They both jumped up, and began franticcaly searching for their scattered clothing. As soon as he was dressed, Grissom checked the computer. "Damn!"

Catherine finished buttoning her shirt and walked over. "Nothing?" Grissom shook his head. "Well, we're still back where we started."

**------------Half an Hour Later----------**

"Grissom" Gil answered his phone with the usual abruptness.

"Would it kill you to say 'Hi' once in a while?" Brass grumbled. "I think we found him... He used his credit card to reserve a hotel room at the Tangiers. We got a warrant, an' are on the way now."

"OK, I'll meet you there." He hung up, turning to the rest of the team. "Lets go!"

**-----------Tangiers----------**

The man stood in the crowd, watching as the cops entered the hotel to search his room. _How did they find me so easily? _he wondered. _I was so careful.... _He watched, his anger building as people carried out his 'stuff.' A tall man with rather chiseled features carried out his favorite gun, and placed it in a dark Tahoe. A few minutes later, an older man with graying hair and a stubbly beard came out, bringing out more of Johnson's things.

Christopher felt the rage build as he saw the strangers touching his things. He reached unconsciously for his spare gun. _Stop! Hold the phone, what was that? _He looked carefully over the crowd, torn between trying to see over people and trying to be inconspicuous. Two women were walking out toward the Tahoe laughing and chatting. He had a brilliant idea...

Christopher pushed his way out of the crowd, heading for his car. Luckily, he wasn't stupid enough to keep anything incriminating in his hotel room - it was all locked in his car. Pulling on a pair of gloves, he grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. He hurriedly scrawled short letter on a sticky note - one of the neon green ones that were produced en-masse everyday - virtually untraceable.

Grissom, Warrick, and Nick were leaving the hotel slightly more dejected then they had arrived. Catherine and Sara had called from the Lab about half an hour ago and said that none of the striations from bullets test-fired from the gun matched the bullets found in the victims. They headed slowly toward the car, realizing that almost an entire day had past since the last woman had been abducted, and they were still back - if not on, at least near - square one.

Grissom was climbing wearily into the Tahoe when Nick spotted the sticky tab. He stared at it in shock. "What is it?" Warrick asked curiously.

Nick read aloud, his voice shaking:

Well, boys - I saw the girls leave, so let just keep  
this between us men. Drop this case NOW - before  
someone else gets hurt. Maybe someone close  
to you guys... "_The Opera Killer_"

**-------------CSI Lab-------------**

Catherine and Sara were sitting in the evidence room, looking over the 'Opera Killer Cases" when Catherine's phone rang. "Willows."

"Catherine -"there was a loud beep in the background as another driver honked at the speeding Tahoe. "He left us a note... I think he's going after you or Sara next! Stay at the Lab, alright?"

"Ok..." Catherine felt sick. She hung up, turning shakily to tell Sara.

The two of them were in the Break Room when the other three arrived. Catherine started "I want Lindsey out of Vegas." she stated flatly. "I can stay overnight at the lab or something, but if this psycho's coming after Sara or I, I don't want her here." She turned to Grissom. "I know I should stay and help solve the case - I mean, the quicker it's over, the better - so I'll just drop her of at my parents for a few days." Grissom nodded.

"Alright. -Sara, do you have somewhere to stay?" Sara looked at Nick and nodded.

"Yeah, I can stay with Nicky."

"OK. -Catherine, you can stay with me if you want..." Cat nodded.

"Thanks. -Well, if I pick Linds up now, I can drop her off before it gets to late. See you all later." She grabbed her keys and walked out. Once in the car, alone, all the thoughts from throughout the day hit her in a jumble. _What a sicko.... I have to get Lindsey out of here - that poor woman's daughter (the one who found the last vic's body)... I don't want Linds to see anything like that... but - on the bright side - I'll be able to stay with Grissom for a while... I just hope we find this bastard before he attacks again..._

Catherine pulled up in front of Lindsey's school, and the little girl clambered inside. "Hey, Mommy!" she tossed her book-bag into the back seat, and started jabbering about her day.

She paused for breath, and looked around. "Where are we going?' She asked, puzzled.

Catherine took a breath. "Well, I was wondering if you wanted to stay with Grandma and Grandpa for a few days."

"But I thought you were going to let me have a sleep-over this weekend?" Lindsey whined.

"I know, honey. I'm sorry, but something... came up." she looked at the disappointment on her daughter's face, and thought her heart would break. "I'm really sorry, baby!"

Lindsey nodded acknowledgement and turned, staring out the window. "I didn't pack anything." she realized suddenly.

"I think we left some stuff there last month, besides, it'll only be a day or two."

"What about school?" Lindsey was still uncertain as to why she was going to stay at her grandparents in the middle of the week.

"I'll call your teacher, and work it all out." Catherine promised. Lindsey, though still puzzled, nodded and resumed staring at the landscape flashing by.


	3. Chapter 3

Christopher Johnson drove around the suburbs in the growing dark of the Las Vegas evening. He heard the body shift in the back of his car as he turned sharply. He was almost there... After seeing the cops at his hotel room, he had gone back to the warehouse for a while. He hadn't meant to kill her so quickly, but... Now he just needed to dump the body.

It had been so easy to find her address.... He just checked the website and found her name, then looked in the phone book. _Honestly, do people realize how easy they are to find?_

He pulled up in front of her house, _good, her car's here. _He climbed out and strolled casually to the front door. Hoping it wasn't locked, he turned the handle and nudged it open with his hip. He looked around carefully, closed the door, and began looking for her.

**--------------Catherine's House--------------**

Catherine threw some stuff into her overnight bag. She walked over to the closest, singing to herself. _Hey, there's not much I can do, so why not enjoy a few days alone with Gil. _She tossed her hair, and began dancing to the music as she sang:

"_**The best thing about a-being a woman,  
**__**Is the prerogative to have a little fun!**_

_**Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy-forget I'm a lady  
Men's shirts-short skirts  
Oh, oh, oh, really go wild-yeah, doin' it in style  
Oh, oh, oh, get in the action-feel the attraction  
Color my hair-do what I dare  
Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free-yeah, to feel the way I feel  
Man! I feel like a woman!"**_

The man stood outside her doorway, watching from the shadows .She turned and grabbed something off the shelf - for a split second, her back was to him. He moved lightning fast, seizing her from behind and pushing her face-first against the wall.

Catherine kicked at him, fighting to turn around. She opened her mouth to scream, but he clamped his hand over her lips. She shook her head, trying to free her face. She pushed hard off the wall, and he fell backwards. Catherine ran past him, out of breath. _Phone... where the ---- is my phone? _She grabbed it off the counter, and had almost finished dialing 911 when he knocked it from her hand.

Catherine stumbled back, catching herself from falling. The man had seized one of her bedroom pillows, and was rapidly advancing on her. Cath tried to scream again, but he launched himself at her, smothering her face with the pillow.

She fell backwards, her attacker landing on top of her. Catherine fought for air, trying to throw him off her, but the man used his advantage in sheer bodyweight to pin her to the floor. Catherine's head was reeling from lack of oxygen. He kept pressing down, blocking her air, until he felt her go limp.

He stood up, tossing the pillow aside. Grunting, he picked her up, and carried her out to the garage. He laid her on the floor as he went to get his car. Johnson closed the garage door behind his car in order to keep prying eyes away.

He shoved Catherine into the back of the car and dragged the other woman's body out. He dumped her unceremoniously on the floor just inside the door and dropped a chicken-scrawled note beside her, then returned to the car and drove off.

**------------Grissom's House--------------**

Grissom called for what seemed like the twentieth time. 'Brrrrring...Brrrring.... Brrring!' Hello, you've reached - "Grissom hung up the phone, and got in the car.

As soon as he reached her house, he felt that something was wrong. "Catherine?" he pushed the door open, not touching the handle just in case. "Cath?" Grissom walked through the house looking for her, unnerved by the silence.

Then he saw the body of Susie Dickinson lying on the floor. Tears rolling down his face, Grissom pulled his gloves on, and picked up the letter that was on the floor next to her.

"I was going to wait awhile before using my favorite opera, but I think this one fits her...

Ich liebe dich,  
Mich reizt deine schone Gestalt,  
Und bist du nicht willig,  
So _brauch' ich Gewalt!"_

Grissom fought back tears as he tried to think clearly. He dialed Brass's number, "Brass? I'm at Catherine's house..."

**Notes: **OK, so it's not that long, but I'm trying to update every day or so, so bear with me. The translation will be in the next chapter....


	4. Chapter 4

Catherine woke up, her head pounding and her body aching. She was tied to a chair, her arms bound behind her. "Gil?" she whispered, "Gil, help me!"

A light flashed on, temporarily blinding her. Catherine blinked rapidly, her eyes trying to adjust to the change in light. Christopher walked over to her, running his hand down her face. "Hello Catherine," he murmured in her ear. Catherine tried to squirm away from his repulsive touch, but she was unable to move more than a few centimeters.

He drew a camera out of his pocket, waving it in front of her face. "Well, all your cop friends should be expecting this, so let's not disappoint them. Catherine glared at him, too angry/scared to say anything. Christopher chuckled, "perfect!" and the camera clicked and flashed. Catherine lowered her head to protect her eyes from any more sudden light changes, and he took several other photos. After he had taken the pictures, he stalked out, slamming the door behind him.

Catherine listened for a few minutes, unmoving. Then it hit her: _he didn't lock the door!_ She struggled furiously to free her hands - the rope cut into her wrists, leaving wicked bruises all over, and drawing blood in some places.

She had almost given up, when the rope slipped a quarter inch down her hands. With one last, painful, attempt, Catherine bent her wrist at an almost unfeasible angle, trying to reach the knot. She grasped it with her fingertips and, biting her lip to keep from crying, began to loosen the tangle strand by strand.

**-----------------CSI Lab--------------**

The receptionist walked into Grissom's office. "Excuse me?" He looked up from the music book he had been studying. "There's another package for you...."

Grissom jumped up, following her out into the hall. He picked the package up carefully between his gloved hands, carrying it to the evidence room. He paged the rest of the team and began dusting the outside for prints as they rushed to the lab.

Once he was done printing and everyone else had had arrived, Grissom slowly opened the manila envelope, and the pictures spilled out: Catherine tied to a chair, unconscious; Catherine, her head hanging; Catherine fully awake, glaring at the cameraman.... Grissom dropped the pictures on the table, and stepped back, crying unashamedly.

Nick shuffled through the pictures, almost weeping at the sight of his friend in such distress. Then he noticed the writing on the back of one of the photographs. "Hey Gil, look at this." He flipped it over, and they all read:

"I told you all to drop the case: I mean it! If  
you are smart, you will cut your loses and move  
on before someone else gets hurt. I am NOT  
playing around! -'The Opera Killer"  
P.S.-By the way: if you couldn't figure out that  
last piece, look at Schumann's 'the Erlking'."

Grissom ran back to his office and pulled an enormous volume off his desk. He filled it open and had found the correct page within seconds.

Nick, Sara and Warrick had just reached his office when the giant tome came flying out into the hall, crashing against the wall. "Gil?"

Grissom was in shock. "That _Bastard!"_ He shouted, "that goddamned Son of a_ Bitch!"_

Warrick picked up the book and found the page.

"I love you,  
Your beauty allures me-  
If you are not willing,  
Then I shall use force!"

**--------------Pow-Wow, Half an Hour Later------------**

Brass walked in, closing the door behind him. "Well, every cop in the state is looking for Chris Johnson, but...."

Grissom looked at the pictures spread over the table. Each of the serial's victim's pictures were laying in order on the white surface. Sara added the photos of Catherine right next to Susie Dickinson.

"All the pictures are in the same warehouse, do we have any way of finding out where that is?

Grissom shook his head sadly. "Nothing so far, but we still have to finish processing Catherine's house. Nick, you and Sara get that - there's plenty of cops there, but be careful. Warrick - Doc. Robins wants to start on the body soon, so you take that. The sheriff has already called - I can't _touch_ the evidence, but like hell I'm gonna drop this. So I'm strictly supervisor on this one - look but don't touch. You all call me if you find _anything_, OK?" That last was more of an order than a question; they all nodded mutely before turning to complete their respective tasks.

**A/N:** Well, that's it for now, I'll try to update soon, but I have exams this week, so we'll see.... Thanks for the reviews!


	5. Chapter 5

**-------------CSI Lab------------**

Grissom walked around the hallways, searching for something to do. He didn't want to just supervise, but he really didn't have a choice. If the jury found out that she had been going to stay at his house, and then he touched the evidence, the bastard would almost certainly be acquitted.

As he passed the receptionist's desk, the young woman held up her hand, gesturing for him to stop. "Yes, ma'am - he's right here." She passed the phone to Grissom, and ducked under the wire and walked off to give Grissom some space.

"Mr. Grissom? This is Catherine's mother. Do you know where she is? I can't seem to reach her on the cell phone, or her house line."

Grissom's heart sank. "Well- Did Catherine tell you anything when she dropped Lindsey off?"

"Not much, just that there had been some vague threats and she thought Lindsey would be safer with me for a while - that's why I've been trying to reach her. Why, did something happen?"

"The threats were a little more than vague..." Grissom paused. _I don't know how to do this; I don't have any people skills - that's Cath._ "Look: I don't know how to say this. I went to her house last night to see if she was OK, and.... She was gone."

"What? No! That can't be... no." She stammered in disbelief.

"I'm very sorry, I should have called you sooner..."

"Do you know where she is? Have you found her?" her voice rose in pitch.

"No, but we are doing everything to find her. We know who the perp is, now it's just a matter of finding them..."

**--------------XXXXXXXXXX----------------**

Catherine stood up stiffly as the ropes slid to the floor. She crept over to the door, trying not to make any noise. Catherine pushed the door open, and slid around the corner. All she could see was trees all around. The only buildings in sight were the large warehouse she had been in and one or two smaller sheds. She ran over to the car, and tried to open the door. _Locked!_ She looked around, unsure. There was a side building near the warehouse, with the door semi-open.

Catherine walked over and peered around the door. A set of keys was lying on the table, and no one else was in sight, so she walked in. As she reached for the keys a light snapped on and Catherine spun around. Christopher Johnson was sitting in a corner, a pistol held loosely in his hand. He stood and walked toward her. Catherine backed away, looking around for a way out, but the only door was behind her abductor.

She tried to think straight as he approached - tried to find a path out of her situation; the only thing she could think about was what had happened to his other victims. _Repeatedly raped, physically abused, controlled by various date-rape drugs... _

He smiled as his prey attempted to avoid him: it was like a game of cat-and-mouse.

Catherine felt the wall behind her, and slid along it, moving to the opposite end of the room until she was in the middle of the wall across from the door.

Christopher tucked his gun into his belt and crept closer, watching her carefully. He stood in front of her, blocking the door. Her eyes flicked to the side, and he lunged to block her.

Catherine feinted to the left, and then leapt to the right. She ran to the door, grabbing the keys off the table as she ran.

She reached the car just as Christopher Johnson rose to his feet and raced to the doorway. Catherine started the engine, and pressed the gas petal all the way to the floor.

The car roared into motion and Johnson began to panic: _if she escapes, the bitch could ID me! _He raised his gun in a last-ditch attempt to stop her, and fired until the chamber was empty.

**A/N: **Well, I updated (finally!), sorry it took so long. Thanks for the reviews!


	6. Chapter 6

**-------------Catherine's House-----------**

Sara and Nick processed the crime scene silently, hardly speaking to each other. Sara stood up taking close-up pictures of a footprint. Her voice shattered the silence, "This feels weird." She sounded unnaturally loud after the quiet of the last few minutes.

Nick glanced up at her, "What, going through all Cath's stuff?" Sara nodded. "Yeah."

They continued taking pictures and lifting prints, most of which would come back Catherine or Lindsey. Sara removed the tape from the door leading to the garage. "Hey, Nick!" He poked his head around the wall separating the utility closet from the living room, where he was still looking for clues.

"Yeah?" he questioned, his accent more pronounced than usual.

"You almost done? I'm just about finished here, gonna take all this stuff to Greg."

Nick stood slowly, and glanced around. "Yeah, we've been over everything at least twice, we're not going to find anythin' else."

He walked over to where Sara was kneeling by the door. She braced herself against the wall to stand up, but Nick held his hand out to her. Sara grasped the out-stretched hand, and he pulled her to her feet, encircling her in his arms.

Sara stood there, simply enjoying the closeness of him, his arms wrapped protectively around her. They remained like that, unmoving, for a few minutes, each taking strength from the other's proximity.

Sara stepped backwards, feeling the rush of cold as she moved away from Nick's innate warmth. "We should get this stuff to Greg." she muttered, turning away.

Nick grasped her wrist lightly, turning her gently toward him. "You OK?" he asked concernedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sara replied, her tone contradicting her answer.

"Hey, Sar'?" Nick tilted her face upwards, so their eyes met. "We're gonna find her. -It's going to be all right."

"I know." Sara brushed the tears off her face in what the thought was a subtle way. She looked up at Nick again, smiling (though her eyes were still red). "Let's go." she said shortly.

Nick sighed, knowing from experience that it was useless to try to talk to Sara when she didn't feel like it. He picked up the pile of plastic bags, and followed Sara out to the Tahoe.

**--------------XXXXXXXXX-------------**

Catherine spun the wheel, trying to keep the car on the road. She heard the gunshots continue, and seconds later, her other back tire went flat. The car swerved off the side, and crashed into the ditch.

Catherine screamed as the airbag exploded out of the steering wheel, filling up her field of vision. She fought to free herself from the car, forcing the door away from its bent frame. She squirmed out of the vehicle, and took off running.

She hadn't gotten far in the car, but it was enough to give her a head start.


	7. Chapter 7

The woman in her late-twenties drove down the empty road, trying to look at the map and keep her children quiet at the same time.

"Mom, are we almost there?" her youngest, a three-year-old whined.

"I don't know. I'm trying to figure it out." the mother snapped, her temper rising. They were going to Vegas for a vacation, had been in the car all day, and now they were lost.

The maroon van rolled past the deserted warehouse, and the newly wrecked car without the occupants even noticing them.

**--------------------**

Catherine looked over her shoulder. Christopher was slowly gaining on her, trying to run and reload his gun at the same time. Catherine gasped, short of breath, as she faced forward once again and added another burst of speed.

Then Catherine heard it; there was a car coming. She turned around again to see a van rolling down the road. It passed Christopher; the driver didn't seem to be paying a lot of attention. Catherine jumped out in front of the car, trying to stop them.

The woman saw Catherine at the last minute, and slammed on the brakes. She rolled down the window.

Catherine ran to the side of the car, "Please help me, could you take me to Vegas?" she begged.

"What's wrong?" the young mother asked.

Catherine looked back down the road. The woman followed her gaze and almost screamed when she saw the man running toward them, brandishing a gun. She leaned over, swinging the door open.

Catherine clambered in, and they speed off, leaving Christopher behind. The two women watched in the rear view mirrors as he faded into the distance. "Do you have a cell phone?" Catherine asked.

The driver tossed a small phone to her, and Catherine dialed 911. "Hello, 911. What is your emergency?"

Catherine breathed a sigh of relief. "This is CSI Willows. I was abducted yesterday by the 'Opera Killer.' I got away, and am on my way back to Vegas now. Send police to the..." Catherine looked at the map. "Tyson Warehouse out on Highway 47. He _is _armed, so be careful."

The 911 operator said something to her, and Catherine replied. "I can meet the police at Desert Palm. -All right, bye."

Catherine hung up and passed the phone back to the driver.

"Are you OK?" the woman asked, eying the bruises on Catherine's wrists.

"Fine... I'm Catherine, by the way."

"I'm Shelly. And that's Sammy and Ruthie." she introduced everyone to Catherine.

Cat waved to the kids, smiling. "Thanks for picking me up."

"Sure..."

Catherine gestured to the phone. "D'you mind if I call my daughter?"

"No, go ahead."

Catherine punched in the familiar number. "Mommy!" Lindsey squealed.

**--------------------**

Grissom answered his phone with the usual monotonous voice.

"Grissom, Cath 's OK!" Brass' static-filled voice nearly shouted. "911 got a call from her, we're gonna meet her at DP, so I'll see you guys there."

Grissom felt like screaming with joy. He forced himself to remain calm, and began calling the rest of the team.

**TBC...** Hopefully in less time than this; sorry it took so long!


End file.
